My name is Michelle and I have been a pet owner and enthusiast since I was a child. Over the years I have lost my furry friends to different conditions or diseases that veterinarians say are common pet issues that set the standard for an animal's lifespan. I have dedicated myself to finding ways to combat these issues in my pets and I want to share my findings with you so that your “best friends” are with you as long as possible. You will see that I am generally focusing on the organic, holistic and overall clean approach to pet care. If I can help a single pet owner bring their pet to better health and living, then every minute of research, testing and writing is worth it.
A healthy pet is a happy pet and a happy pet is the best friend anyone can ever have.
 For most of 2007 Monk had terrible diarrhea. He was able to hold his bowels until he was walked in the usual timeframes, but when he did go out he would literally expel brown liquid. We went to the vet over and over and saw different doctors. Each one said he was properly hydrated so he wasn’t losing so much water that he was at any dehydration risk. Each doctor prescribed multiple medications ranging from the ALWAYS prescribed Amphenol (doggie version of Imodium AD) and regular antibiotics. One veterinarian actually suggested that maybe he has emotional problems and is reacting to stress. Another suggested spastic colon but offered no cure, just pills to get rid of the symptoms. The Amphenol would make his stools semi-solid for the time he was on them but as soon as the prescription ran out, he was right back to pure liquid bowels. At this time in Monk’s life he was on an all homemade diet. I told the vets exactly what his food contained and they said it was fine and contained proper nutrition. To help, I added organic kibble to his diet trying to put things in his system that would come out solid. No luck.
Although Monk didn’t seem to be having any physical downturn from constant diarrhea, I know that life begins and ends in the colon for both humans and animals and sooner or later it was going to cause other chronic problems. After about $2000 in vet bills over 2007, I took Monk one more time on a walk in and got a completely new vet. She did a culture on what little fecal matter she could get from him and said that he had no bacteria in his bowels (so he didn’t need antibiotics) and she suggested adding 100% whole pumpkin to his food. Initially in larger amounts, ½ to 1 regular can in his food twice daily plus a few daily spoonfuls of all natural Greek Pressed Yogurt to assist in putting good bacteria back in his system. The repeated doses of antibiotics had not only killed any bad bacteria that could have been in him, it also destroyed the good bacteria which is paramount to regulating bowl functions. So, I kept him on the homemade food recipes, with the organic kibble and the newly added pumpkin and yogurt.
   GUESS WHAT!!! Monks violent diarrhea was GONE in 48 hours and he hasn’t had a single instance of diarrhea to date (February 11, 2009). I am so thankful that I walked into such an aware, honest veterinarian who solved my problem with a product I could buy and add to all my pet’s diets to avoid having this ever happen again. It turns out that Pumpkin is VERY high in fiber. It’s one of the highest fiber all natural vegetables you can add to your pet’s diet. And they love it. My dogs will sit side-by-side and gobble spoonfuls of pumpkin like it’s a treat. You can find cans of pumpkin in the baking isle in your grocery store, usually on the bottom shelves under the pie tins and fillings. DO NOT GET PUMPKIN PIE FILLING – that is not right. Get 100% pumpkin. The two are sold next to each other so be sure to read the label to get the right product. Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin is the brand found in most grocery stores and it is the one I used initially. After I found Wegmans grocery, I started using their brand because they offer a guarantee of all natural. But Libby’s is excellent and frankly, I believe Saved Monk’s Life. Thank you to the veterinarian who told me about this and showed me the greatness of a natural approach to health and healing. It inspired me to know that I could help my animals live a better, healthier life (not to mention save money by not having to buy expensive prescription medications and incur vet bill after vet bill for issues that are curable with common natural products.)
My oldest boxer Monk plays rough with his two brothers and recently, unintentionally, Lumos' tooth tore the edge of Monk’s ear. For minor ear wounds such as this, the bandaging process is simple. The first thing to do is clean the wound of any debris and potential bacteria. For Monk’s ear, I used Hydrogen Peroxide Wipes. I prefer the wipes to the bottled liquid peroxide because the wipes can’t spill. Flushing a wound with bottled peroxide almost always spills and bleaches clothes or furniture. Gently wipe the wound until the skin is pink and clean. If the wound is bleeding, hold pressure on the wounded area with a clean white cloth until the bleeding stops. Be sure the wound and surrounding ear is completely dry. Then apply a generous amount of over-the-counter Neosporin. You don’t need to rub it into the wound; just be sure the entire wounded area has ointment on it. After applying the ointment, use a standard finger Band-Aid. Center the cotton square on the bandage to the wounded area and fold the bandage over the edge of the ear so that it sticks to the hair on each side. If, like Monk’s ear, the wound is close to the tip of the ear, fold one corner of the bandage over the edge of the ear and then fold the other corner so that they overlap and hold better. For the following 4 days, in the evenings remove the bandage, clean the wound again, apply new Neosporin and re-bandage the ear. After 4 days the risk of infection should be over and the ear should be exposed to the air to dry and scab. For more severe ear wounds, whether just one ear is injured or both are hurt, it is most stable to bandage the entire head of the animal. First fold the ears of the pet over the top of their head with a clean sterile gauze pad covering the wounded area. Secure the ends of the ears together with medical tape using the fur as the tape’s anchor. The pet’s ears should look like a cap on top of their head. Using single ply gauze roll, wrap the gauze around the pet’s head and over the ears until all of the ears are covered with gauze going at least 2 inches above and below the ears. Use medical tape to secure the gauze roll around the pet’s head. For added protection, a clean cut of t-shirt can be wrapped around the bandage and also secured using medical tape. Ears are made of thin tissue and can be easily torn in a fight or even play from a toenail or tooth. For severely torn ears, once the bleeding is stopped, the wound is cleaned, disinfected, dried and bandaged; call your veterinarian to see if stitches or further treatment is necessary to avoid infection or further tearing.
There are many dog rescue organizations across America that are doing amazing work in caring and re-homing thousands of dogs each year. If you are interested in finding a canine friend to adopt or are looking to volunteer, a good place to start is inquiring at your local shelter. Look on the web too, so you get as much information for dog rescue organizations as you can before going out to visit one. It’s a good idea to phone first and find a convenient time for meeting with someone there who can answer all your questions. Here are details for three organizations; each has a slightly different way of operating than the others.
There are vets that say one of the best ways to prevent cancer in your dog includes making sure your dog is spayed or neutered. Spaying reduces breast cancer in females and neutering helps reduce testicular cancer in males. Many vets are recommending fewer vaccinations for your dog, claiming that these shots may help contribute to the onset of cancer. Not all shots are necessary for all dogs so make sure to discuss with your vet your dog’s specific case. Standard veterinarians are not as open minded to the idea of cutting back on vaccines as holistic veterinarians. So if your family vet says “no way” feel free to contact a holistic veterinarian to compare notes. Especially if your family vet won’t tell you why they insist on all the shots. A holistic veterinarian generally advocates knowledge of the owner and promotes prevention over treatment at every opportunity. No matter what vet you choose, be sure to ask all the questions. Veterinarians are well educated and well trained, but there is always something for everyone to learn; even the professionals. So do your research and ask questions until you are satisfied that you can make a decision for your precious pet that is best for them. Make sure you are aware of what is in your dog’s food. If you are feeding your dog standard commercial dog foods (meaning non-organic, non-holistic, lots of fillers, additives and preservatives) then your dog is consuming non-stop low nutrition and high chemicals. Dogs metabolize chemicals faster than humans. 1 human life year equals 7 dog years. So isn’t it logical to say that their systems run 7 times faster than ours. Therefore, what gives a human cancer in 14 years will give a dog cancer in 2. The commercial pet food industry spends billions of dollars on misleading labeling, packaging and ways to cut costs in quality and cover it with synthetic flavorings to trick your dog into thinking they’re eating steak. You see your dog love it so you think it’s good. NOT TRUE. You don’t have to cook an expensive organic diet to do right by your pet. There are a number of excellent kibble and wet dog foods out there now that offer 100% human grade ingredients and others go the extra step and give you all organic ingredients. These dog foods are a bit more expensive than the standard ones like Iams or Science Diet, but they’re certainly less expensive than regular trips to the vet for chronic conditions that seem unexplainable, prescription costs and treatment later on for cancer which is VERY expensive. Even worse is when a beloved pet gets cancer from years of eating poisonous foods and water and their owners can’t afford to help them. So the owners are left with the heartbreaking decision to put their devoted friend to sleep. It all could have been avoided for a lot longer time by just spending a few dollars more per bag or can of food. Removal of a cancerous tumor can cost upwards of $5000. How much healthy dog food does that add up to? A LOT. Discuss any dietary changes with your vet to make sure you are giving your dog the best diet for his or her specific immune system and well-being. Your vet may also suggest antioxidants for your dog to take every day with their food. This will give your dog the vitamins it needs to grow strong and healthy as well as help to clear away free radicals that build up in their system from chemicals in water and additives in commercial pet food. Free radicals and pollutants affect the body’s PH level and make it acidic. The body (human or pet) should be more alkaline than acid. Meaning a dog’s PH should be at 7.00 for a clean, oxygenated system. Cancer cells cannot exist in an alkaline, oxygenated body. Its only when a toxic body becomes so acidic that the healthy cells can’t survive, the cells jump into survival mode and mutate into what we call cancer cells. Cancer cells can live in an acidic environment. That’s why people can have cancer for years and years before realizing it. The body is trying to survive by changing to match its environment. Make sure that your home is free of pesticides and other chemicals that may be harmful to you, your children, and your dog. This is a great way to help prevent cancer. By keeping cancer-causing chemicals away from you and your dog you both will be exposed to a less harmful environment. If your dog does contract cancer it is very important to be involved with veterinary care from the very beginning. You need to speak to your vet about all the options you have and what your next step in caring for your dog will be.
Dogs can have a variety of health problems just like humans can. They are subject to catching various diseases, having accidents and having various physical ailments, which can be serious. There are diseases that are common to different breeds of dogs and the medical facts regarding the breed should be considered before choosing a dog for a pet.
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After a while, though, even the cancer can’t withstand a constant polluted environment and the cells die – all cells die – and the body dies. If you can get a body back to an alkaline PH, the cancer cells will be either removed by the healthy cells, or the cancer cells will change back to oxygenated healthy cells. There are many so-called miracle healings with cancer. If you look closely at the case, the person or animal that had cancer took an aggressive new lease on life and started living life to its healthiest by embracing good foods, meditation, and exercise. They thought they had a short time to live so they wanted to live it the best they could and guess what – their cancer was gone. By changing their lifestyle what they actually did was detox their body and change their PH to alkaline. This approach works for humans and animals. If your pet gets a healthy, fully nutritional, non-pollutant diet and filtered or distilled water, their chances of staying alkaline and living longer and cancer free go up dramatically. 